The final six rounds of the 2025 NFL draft played out on Friday and Saturday in Detroit. Six former Irish players found their professional homes through selections, extending their college football lead to 538 all-time draft picks. Additionally, three more signed as undrafted free agents.
Xavier Watts, Safety - Atlanta Falcons
Late in the third round on Friday night, the Falcons selected Watts with the 96th overall pick. Atlanta traded up to take Watts, moving up from 101st and acquiring the pick from the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite falling from his anticipated selection slot, Watts joined Benjamin Morrison as the second Irish defensive back called upon within the first two nights of the draft. The two Irish teammates will oppose one another twice yearly going forward within the NFC South division.
Executives in Atlanta have raved about the pure instincts, versatility and ballhawking skills of Watts, a two-year starter at Notre Dame. Watts began his Notre Dame career as a wide receiver out of Omaha, Nebraska; later cycling through linebacker before sticking as a top option at safety early in the 2023 season. He broke out and then some during that campaign, recording seven interceptions — including two against 2024's No. 1 pick Caleb Williams — and 52 tackles. Watts finished the year by taking home the Bronko Nagurski Award, which annually honors the top defensive player in college football.
A household name in South Bend from start to finish in 2024, Watts lived up to his lofty graduate year expectations with another excellent season. Starting all 16 games of Notre Dame’s run to the national championship game, he intercepted six more footballs and made 82 tackles. On the final day of the regular season, he broke a Notre Dame record with a 100-yard interception return touchdown against USC. Fittingly, he played two games — including his last with the Irish — in his new professional home of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Heading down to Georgia may give Watts the opportunity to create a turnover machine with seventh-year safety Jessie Bates III. Bates, who began his professional career with the Cincinnati Bengals, has done nothing but take the ball away in his two Atlanta seasons. While Watts picked off a total of 13 passes to lead all of college football across the past two season, Bates has intercepted 10 against NFL quarterbacks during that stretch.
Last year, upon adding veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to the offense, the Falcons didn’t miss the playoffs by much at 8-9. Their offense finished sixth in the league in terms of yardage, but their defense lagged behind at 23rd in both points and yards allowed. If Watts can make good on his labeling as a massive third-round steal, Atlanta’s defense might just improve enough to make an NFC South division title possible.
Jack Kiser, Linebacker - Jacksonville Jaguars
After compiling a Notre Dame record 69 games played throughout his illustrious six-year career in South Bend, Kiser will move to Jacksonville to bolster the Jaguars linebacker room. Kiser boasts a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 91.1 since 2023, the second-highest amongst linebackers. Although he will enter the NFL at a relatively older age as a 25-year-old rookie, Kiser’s leadership ability and field awareness make him a strong pickup for the Jaguars.
Kiser will learn behind Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma, both of whom have carved out consistent roles in Jacksonville. However, with the duo being near contract years, the Jaguars' choice of Kiser makes perfect sense. Kiser became beloved by Notre Dame fans for always making the right decision, and he was a vocal leader of Notre Dame’s elite defense that led the Irish to a National Championship appearance. He should slot in as a day-one rotational piece for the Jaguars with the potential to work his way up to a starting role.
Kiser follows JD Bertrand as the second consecutive Notre Dame linebacker to be drafted in the middle rounds. Bertrand was drafted in the fifth round by the Falcons in 2024. The Jaguars selected Kiser in the fourth round, 107th overall. A former quarterback and linebacker at Royal Center, Indiana, this will mark the first time the 2018 Mr. Indiana Football plays for a team outside the Hoosier state.
Rylie Mills, Defensive Tackle - Seattle Seahawks
After earning Second Team All-American honors during his senior season in South Bend, defensive tackle Rylie Mills will head out west to bolster a Seahawks team in need of physicality in the trenches. With the fourth pick of the fifth round (142nd overall), Seattle made Mills the 20th interior defensive lineman chosen in the draft, filling the team’s main defensive need after selecting offensive players with three of the first four picks.
Playing alongside Howard Cross III as the anchors of the nation’s No. 1 defense in 2024, Mills led the Irish in sacks with 7.5, including a career-high three against Florida State. Although he is currently working his way back from an ACL tear suffered in the First Round of the College Football Playoff, Mills is in a good position to be a week one starter for the Seahawks.
Seattle currently has just two other interior linemen on the roster who can slot into the nose tackle position of head coach Mike Macdonald’s 3-4 defensive front. Both Brandon Pili and Quinton Bohanna were signed late last season as the Seahawks made a playoff push, but the pair combined for just one tackle in their appearances. If his recovery continues, Mills will provide strength and toughness for a Seattle defensive line that looks to make a push in the wide-open NFC West.
Mitchell Evans, Tight End - Carolina Panthers
Following his promising end to 2024, Panthers franchise quarterback Bryce Young was equipped with numerous new offensive weapons through the draft, including tight end Mitchell Evans. Despite battling injuries throughout his career, Evans became Notre Dame’s starting tight end for his senior season, turning in 43 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns.
After snagging a highly-touted receiver and running back in the earlier rounds, the Panthers got high value when selecting Evans with the 27th pick of the fifth round (163rd overall). Evans was the eighth tight end to come off the board as 2025 was a stacked year for the position group, including first-round picks Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren.
The Panthers deploy just one tight end in 72% of their offensive snaps, meaning Evans will have to battle with 2024 fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders for time as the backup tight end. The projected starter in Carolina is also a Notre Dame product, as Tommy Tremble signed a two-year, $16 million contract following a career year last fall. All told, Evans should provide depth to a Carolina offense looking to take the next steps in year three of the Bryce Young era.
Riley Leonard, Quarterback - Indianapolis Colts
A transfer from Duke University and an Alabama native, former Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard finds his way back to Indiana to join the Indianapolis Colts. Leonard joined in the sixth round of the draft and was the 189th pick overall.
In his first three years at Duke, Leonard played a total of 27 games, including seven in his freshman year, 13 in his sophomore and seven in his junior year before transferring to Notre Dame. In his senior year with the Irish, Leonard, one of the team captains, debuted in 16 games throughout the season, becoming a 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award Semifinalist, landing in the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Top 25, earning a Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week and joining the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award Watch List. Leonard finished the 2024 season averaging 56.6 rushing yards per game, averaging 178.8 passing yards per contest and finishing with a total of 17 rushing touchdowns to finish the season.
Leonard was the sixth Notre Dame player to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft as the Colts welcome him to Indianapolis. Leonard will join the quarterback room with returning Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.
Cross headlines post-draft signings
A three-year starter, Cross played 66 career games at Notre Dame, the second-most in program history. He was selected as a Second Team All-American in 2023 and 2024; seasons in which he combined for 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. Standing at 6-foot-1, 283 pounds, he makes up for a lack of size with short-area burst and active hands. He will look to earn a place in the rotation of a Bengals interior defensive line that struggled last season.
Despite not hearing his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft, nickel back Jordan Clark quickly found a landing spot in the pros when he inked a free agent deal with the New York Jets on Saturday night. The son of ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, the veteran ballhawk played his sixth collegiate season in South Bend after an illustrious five-year tenure at Arizona State.
Clark’s experience made him an immediate leader for the strong Fighting Irish defense, but he also produced on-field results with 37 tackles and an interception. The New York secondary was one of the few bright spots for the middling Jets a year ago, ranking top 10 in passing defense. They did struggle to take the ball away, however, finishing with the fourth-fewest interceptions in the NFL. That could provide Clark an opportunity to break through, as the Notre Dame defense excelled on that front last year.
In Beaux Collins' sole season at Notre Dame, the graduate transfer from Clemson recorded 41 receptions for 490 yards and three touchdowns. Collins wasn’t always consistent throughout the 2024 season but flashed some high-end separation tools and contested catch ability, the timely back-shoulder grab on the game-winning drive against Texas A&M a prime example. He will look to break into a Giants wide receiver corps in desperate need of playmakers to support their new first-round quarterback selection, Jaxson Dart.
